1 . The impact of the man-made climate crisis on Antarctica is scientifically undeniable: stable ice shelves are retreating, air temperature increased by 3 degrees Celsius. krill(磷虾)numbers are declining, melting ice is contributing to sea level rise, and polar bears and seals are getting displaced. “Antarctic biodiversity could decline substantially by the end of the century if we continue with business as usual.” Jasmine Rachael Lee, lead author of the University of Queensland study says.
Published in the journal PLOS Biology, the study finds population declines are likely for 65% of the continent’s plants and wildlife by the year 2100. The most vulnerable(脆弱的)species is the Emperor penguins. In October 2022, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Emperor penguins as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act(ESA), as experts predict the flightless seabird will see a 26% to 47% dip in its population by 2050. “This listing reflects the growing extinction crisis and highlights the importance of the ESA and efforts to conserve species before population declines become irreversible(不可逆转).” said Service Director Martha Williams at the time.
Aside from Emperor penguins, other Antarctic specialists, like the Adélie penguin and dry soil nematodes, were also highly vulnerable. We urgently need a combination of global and local conservation action to best conserve Antarctic species. Global action and global voices to help relieve climate change—because the biggest threat to Antarctica is coming from outside of it. And then we need local actions to help protect biodiversity against local threats and give them the best chance of adapting to climate changes. This will help to save our iconic(代表性的)species like the Emperor penguins and all of Antarctica’s unique and highly adapted inhabitants. It will also help humankind, as we rely heavily on the priceless services the Antarctic provides in regulating our climate and capturing sea level in its ice sheets.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．The impact of climate crisis is usually denied. |
| B．Conservation efforts are badly needed. |
| C．Air temperature on Antarctic increases 3℃ annually. |
| D．Sea level rise results in seabirds losing their habitats. |
| A．To serve as a call to protect wildlife on Antarctic |
| B．To reflect the growing population of wild species. |
| C．To prove the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act. |
| D．To highlight the severe impact of rising temperature. |
| A．Reducing the chances of making a trip to Antarctic. |
| B．Making joint efforts to relieve climate change. |
| C．Attempting to provide essential nutrients to the ecosystem. |
| D．Continuing to carry forward the Endangered Species Act. |
| A．Plants and Wildlife on Antarctica Will Decline Quickly |
| B．Antarctic Species Are Vulnerable to Human Threats |
| C．More Action Should Be Taken to Protect Wildlife on Antarctica |
| D．The Best Conservation Strategy Will Be Carried Out Soon |
2 . For years, David James, who studies insects at Washington State University, had wanted to examine the migration (迁徙)patterns of West Coast monarch butterflies (黑脉金斑蝶). The route the butterflies travel has been hardly known because the populations are too small to follow. For every 200 monarchs tagged (打标签)by a researcher, only one is usually recovered at the end of its trip, James says, and finding even 200 in the wild to tag is unlikely. Knowing the route is vital to conservation efforts, but James had no way to figure it out- until he got a phone call from Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.
The prison was looking for new activities to improve the mental health of those serving long-term sentences. So James began working with prisoners to raise monarchs through the whole process of their transformation. The adult insects were then tagged and released from the prison. Over five years, nearly 10, 000 monarchs flew from the facility. Elsewhere in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, researchers released another few thousand.
The tags included email addresses, and soon after the first butterflies took off, James started receiving messages from people who had spotted them. The butterflies, the reports confirmed, wintered in coastal California. Twelve of them landed at Lighthouse Field State Beach in Santa Cruz. Several more headed to Bolinas and Morro Bay.
The work helps researchers identify ideal places to plant milkweed and other vegetation that are important to the life cycle of West Coast monarch butterflies. It also brought out the gentler side of some of the prisoners. “They were very worried that they were going to harm the butterflies, ”James says. Watching the monarch change their form also touched the men. “This butterfly changed, ” James recalls prisoners telling him, “and maybe we can too. ”
1. What was hard for David to do in his study?| A．Gain financial support. | B．Hire qualified workers. |
| C．Build a new laboratory. | D．Find enough monarchs. |
| A．To guarantee their safety. |
| B．To enable them to fly longer distances. |
| C．To track their travel routes. |
| D．To distinguish them from other species. |
| A．The patience the butterflies showed. |
| B．The hardship the butterflies underwent. |
| C．The transformation of the butterflies. |
| D．The devotion of James to the butterflies. |
| A．The impact of the research. |
| B．The findings of James’ study. |
| C．The release of the prisoners. |
| D．The life cycle of the butterflies. |
3 . Great tits（大山雀）in the UK are the same in almost every way as great tits in the Netherlands: black and yellow feathers，and white spots across the cheeks.But the British ones have slightly longer beaks（鸟喙），and the reason might be the wide use of bird feeders in Britain. In a recent study，researchers reported that great tits in the UK have evolved to have longer beaks in past decades.
Both Britain and the Netherlands are home to great tit populations that have been studied for many years，and the team suspected that the birds' genes might help explain whether they've evolved differently.Measurements dating back to the 1970s showed that the UK great tits' beaks had increased in length by about 0.2 millimeters.The birds with the longer-beaked gene variants（基因变种）successfully raised about one more baby bird every five years than those with the short-beaked variants.“The assumption would be that if a great tit has a longer beak and is better able to access food, then it is in general in better condition and better able to focus on its young,”says Lewis Spurgin, one of the researchers.
So are the bird feeders behind all this? "Something in the Dutch habitat might be different from that in Britain, or perhaps the distinct beaks have to do with the song. But previous research has suggested that bird feeders might be driving selection for longer beaks among birds that spend their winters in the United Kingdom,” Spurgin says.
British people adore birds. More than half of their gardens are believed to host a feeder, and the UK spends twice as much on bird food annually as all of mainland Europe.“Humans are causing animals to evolve in lots of ways, many of which we probably don't understand. It's going to be an interesting area for future research,”Spurgin says.
1. What do we know about great tits in the UK and the Netherlands?| A．The British ones live in a fragile environment. |
| B．They feed on completely different food. |
| C．The British ones live longer in general. |
| D．They are almost alike in appearance. |
| A．Possible reasons for the different beaks. |
| B．Further research findings about great tits. |
| C．Different results reported by other studies. |
| D．Strong evidence of bird feeders' influence. |
| A．The birds were evolving rapidly in the1970s. |
| B．Natural selection could be affected by humans. |
| C．All genetic changes are blamed on bird feeders. |
| D．Short-beaked birds tend to have more babies. |
| A．Longer-beaked great tits are found in the UK. |
| B．British people's love for birds might harm them. |
| C．Great tits could be evolving to eat from bird feeders. |
| D．It's easier for longer-beaked birds to eat food from bird feeders. |
4 . The accelerating melting of the Himalayan glaciers threatens the water supply of millions of people in Asia, new research warns. The study, led by the University of Leeds, concludes that over recent decades the Himalayan glaciers have lost ice ten times more quickly over the last few decades than that on average since the last major glacier expansion 400-700 years ago, a period known as the Little Ice Age.
The study also reveals that the Himalayan glaciers are shrinking far more rapidly than glaciers in other parts of the world—a rate of loss the researchers describe as “exceptional”. The paper, published in Scientific Reports, made a reconstruction of the size and ice surfaces of 14, 798 Himalayan glaciers during the Little Ice Age. The researchers calculate that the glaciers have lost around 40 per cent of their area-shrinking from a peak of 28, 000 km2 to around 19,600 km2 today.
The Himalayan mountain range is home to the world's third-largest amount of glacier ice, after Antarctica and the Arctic and is often referred to as “the Third Pole”. The acceleration of melting of the Himalayan glaciers has significant impacts on hundreds of millions of people who depend on Asia's major river systems for food and energy.
The Himalayan glaciers are generally losing ice much faster in the eastern regions. The study suggests this variation is probably due to differences in geographical features on the two sides of the mountain range and their interaction with the atmosphere—resulting in different weather patterns.
Dr Carrivick, the leader of the study, said, “While we must act urgently to reduce and relieve the impact of human-made climate change on the glaciers and meltwater-fed rivers, the modelling of that impact on glaciers must also take account of the role of factors such as lakes and debris (杂物垃圾).”
1. What may be the result of the accelerating melting of the Himalayan glaciers?| A．Himalayan is getting warmer. | B．The Arctic glaciers expand frequently. |
| C．The whole world is going towards Ice Age. | D．Asia’s water, food and energy is under threat. |
| A．The Himalayan glaciers have lost ice since they existed. |
| B．The study came to its conclusion by doing experiments. |
| C．The Himalayan glaciers have the largest amount of ice. |
| D．Climate change is the main cause of the melting of glaciers. |
| A．Because of different landforms. | B．Because of the time of sunlight. |
| C．Because of the amount of glacier ice. | D．Because of the activities of mountain climbers. |
| A．Asian people are in danger of water supply | B．The eastern region of Himalaya melts faster |
| C．Himalayan glaciers are melting at an unusual rate | D．The Himalayan mountain range has more glacier ice |
5 . Drew Lanham grew up on the farm his grandfather built in the 1920s. Lanham, now 54, says his father felt a responsibility to stay on the land and care for the animals and crops planted there. “I saw my father through the land, and I saw the land as my father's heart,” he said.
As a kid, he remembers being attracted by the wildlife he would encounter on the short walk between his parents' farm and his grandparents' house. Even though the journey was less than a quarter-mile, he recalled, back then it “seemed like a thousand miles”.
Above all, he was attracted by the birds. “From a very early age, I believed that I would be someone who studied birds - who somehow found a way to fly,” Lanham said. He said he lost track of that dream on the road to becoming an engineer. “Once I left for college, everybody said, 'You're good at math and science. Be an engineer, Drew,'” he said.
As a student studying engineering at Clemson University, it was a trip to the farm that helped him circle back to his love of birds. “I can remember coming back home, and all of these wonderful forests that I'd grown up in had been cleared away. And losing that land was like losing my father all over again,” he said. Lanham's father had died years before.
Though much of their home had been destroyed, some wildlife remained. “I remember when I drove on the dirt road, I heard birds singing. It was the most hopeful thing for me,” he said. The bird songs lit a fire under Lanham. After his visit back to the farm, he couldn't see himself returning to work as an engineer. At Clemson he got on track to study to become an ornithologist (鸟类学家).
“The long hours of work were often hot and hard. But when I looked up, there would be flocks (群) of birds. I realized I was doing what I had always dreamed of,” he said.
1. Why did Lanham feel the journey to his grandparents' house like a thousand miles?| A．He spent much time exploring the wildlife along the way. |
| B．He often stopped to care for the animals and crops. |
| C．He was eager to go to his grandparents' house. |
| D．He used to get lost during the journey. |
| A．His weakness in math and science. | B．His father' s persuasion. |
| C．His vacation in the forests. | D．His return trip to the farm. |
| A．Tough but meaningful. | B．Repetitive but rewarding. |
| C．Creative and interesting. | D．Tiring and dangerous. |
| A．Even if the dream cannot come true, we should not give up. |
| B．Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions. |
| C．The happiest thing in the world is to pursue your dream. |
| D．Dreams are always the opposite of reality. |
6 . I looked out of the door of my 100 year-old house and saw my newly built garden. I realized nothing is rubbish. I was full of
I
My neighbors would put the autumn
Nothing has to be really
| A．joy | B．sympathy | C．doubt | D．regret |
| A．refused | B．hesitated | C．liked | D．started |
| A．wealth | B．garbage | C．investments | D．necessities |
| A．packed up | B．brought up | C．threw away | D．gave away |
| A．value | B．request | C．confusion | D．consequence |
| A．own | B．find | C．forget | D．lose |
| A．collecting | B．recovering | C．recycling | D．competing |
| A．sorting | B．picking | C．spotting | D．recording |
| A．uniform | B．broken | C．limitless | D．separate |
| A．fruit | B．rice | C．leaves | D．vegetables |
| A．compare | B．deal | C．communicate | D．fit |
| A．platform | B．garden | C．picture | D．schedule |
| A．building | B．tent | C．sign | D．show |
| A．piled | B．polished | C．decorated | D．cleaned |
| A．unwillingly | B．hardly | C．seriously | D．casually |
| A．submitted | B．sowed | C．removed | D．reserved |
| A．smelly | B．annoying | C．imaginary | D．attractive |
| A．useless | B．careless | C．priceless | D．defenseless |
| A．pleasant | B．vivid | C．violent | D．disgusting |
| A．trouble | B．treasure | C．terror | D．trade |
7 . Promising 42,000 new homes across five residential districts, the eco-town of Tengah will be the 24th new settlement built by Singapore’s government since World War II. It is, however, the first with centralized cooling, automated trash collection and a car-free town center, which conservationists hope offers a road map for slashing carbon emissions in the Southeast Asian city-state.
Although comparatively small, with a population of under 6 million people, Singapore’s per capita emissions are higher than those of the UK, China and neighboring Malaysia, according to the country’s National Climate Change Secretariat. That’s due, in part, to air conditioning, which accounts for more than a third of typical household energy consumption. The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) has predicted that, by the end of this century, average daily temperatures in the city-state may be at least 34.1 degrees Celsius “almost every day” during the eight warmest months of the year.
As such, keeping cool will, increasingly, be a necessity for residents. Rather than demonizing air conditioning, Tengah’s planners have instead sought to reimagine it. Cold water, chilled using solar power, will be piped through the district’s homes, meaning residents don’t need to install inefficient outdoor AC condensers. According to the town’s energy provider, SP Group, this will generate carbon dioxide savings equivalent to taking 4,500 cars off the roads each year.
Planners used computer modeling to simulate wind flow and heat gain across the town, helping to reduce the so-called urban heat island effect. Elsewhere, “smart” lights will switch off when public spaces are unoccupied, and trash will be stored centrally, with monitors detecting when garbage needs collecting. All residents will have access to the app allowing them to monitor their energy and water usage. Digital displays in each block will meanwhile inform occupants of their collective environmental impact, which could even encourage competition between residential blocks.
Regardless of whether the use of smart technology can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions or not, engaging residents with their own consumption could encourage behavioral change, according to Perrine Hamel, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Asian School of the Environment. “Changing behavior is going to be an integral part of achieving climate targets and, of course, urban design is the first way to affect and change behavior,” she said.
1. What can we know about Tengah from Paragraph 1?| A．It offers free cars to every resident. | B．It faces serious environmental problems. |
| C．It features a sustainable urban design. | D．It’s the first eco-town in Southeast Asia. |
| A．To predict climate change in the future. |
| B．To warn people not to use air conditioning. |
| C．To explain the importance of conserving energy. |
| D．To stress the necessity of adopting efficient cooling. |
| A．They will be able to check their energy usage. |
| B．They will be required to dispose of garbage on their own. |
| C．They will be involved in various competitive activities. |
| D．They will no longer be affected by the urban heat island effect. |
| A．Helps efficiently reduce carbon emissions. | B．Promotes changes in people’s behavior. |
| C．Encourages the decrease in energy consumption. | D．Brings more convenience to people’s lives. |
Zhalong is a nature reserve in Heilongjiang in northeast China. It is one of
Zhalong Nature Reserve is an important
This year,
9 . The northernmost part of Earth is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the planet. The melting (融化的) ice has cleared space through the historically dangerous Northwest Passage. This means the melting sea ice is opening new routes for shipping.
Donna Hauser is a marine biologist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Hauser says she was interested in studying the possible threat (威胁) to Arctic marine mammals from shipping.
Hauser says her hope was to protect both these animals and the people who depend on them. “All of these species (物种) are really important for local communities throughout the Arctic as well as in Alaska.”
Hauser and other researchers looked at seven Arctic species. They limited their study to the month of September. This is when sea ice is at its lowest point and most ships pass through Arctic waters. The study found that narwhals and other whales were most at risk to ship traffic during the late summer. Polar bears were the least at risk, with walruses and seals in between.
The noise of ice-breaking boats and other ships is extremely unsettling to marine mammals, notes Kristin Laidre of the Polar Ice Center. “That underwater noise is a disturbance for marine mammals, especially different whale species that rely on sound to do everything.”
This is the first study to compare effects of increased ship traffic on major Arctic marine mammal species, and identify which animals might be most in need of protection. “We’re no longer in an Arctic state that was experienced by British Captain Sir John Franklin in 1845 or some of those early Western explorers,” noted Hauser.
In order to help protect marine animals, the researchers suggest requiring ships to move at slower speeds to reduce the chance of striking. They also suggest a limit on the amount of noise ships can make.
Kristin Laidre says that it is unrealistic to try and stop people from using Arctic passageways. However, by understanding which animals are at risk, researchers can help plan for the future.
1. What’s happened to the Northwest Passage?| A．It’s lost its attractiveness. |
| B．It’s become safer for ships. |
| C．It’s been blocked by thick ice. |
| D．It’s been destroyed by ship traffic. |
| A．Seals. | B．Polar bears. | C．Whales. | D．Walruses. |
| A．To tell the bad effects of increased ship traffic on Arctic marine species. |
| B．To require ships not to move through the Northwest Passage. |
| C．To say the significance of the voyage of Sir John Franklin. |
| D．To call on people to take steps to protect animals. |
| A．Climate Change in the Arctic |
| B．Arctic Animals Need Better Protection |
| C．Studies on Sea Animals in the Arctic |
| D．Animals Are at Risk From Increased Arctic Shipping |
